travelitis
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 22, 2002
- Messages
- 1,486
Cast of characters - 2 adts, 11 y.o. boy, 9 y.o. boy, 5 y.o. girl. We celebrated 2 May b-days (the youngest kids) on this trip. We let the oldest have a character meal UNbirthday celebration too, out of fairness. I have trouble assessing stars, but I tried.
GARDEN GRILL - 4 stars
lunch (4th time there) - still very good, but our least impressive visit. We had to ask our server for dessert, and they've added a spinach dish that was far from a hit. Their Thanksgiving menu, which they serve all Thanksgiving week if not longer, is our favorite, and a hard act to follow. They do really know how to celebrate a b-day, and they serve a small cake rather than a cupcake and give the b-day child a certificate with the character's autographs. The worms and dirt dessert continues to be a favorite with our kids. We like the flank steak. Yes, we'll doubtless return, especially since they offer the 10% AP lunch discount M-F.
EPCOT PRINCESS BFAST- 4 stars
Food and service were very good as was character interaction. Atmosphere was more relaxed than at CRT even though we had a 10:20 PS. They still didn't rush us like last time at CRT. The pastries were good, and the food was standard b-fast menu. It was all hot and fresh. B-day girl got a really cool cookie that she got to paint. The gel food coloring paints were held in place in chocolate circles. She got a certificate, but the servers, rather than characters, signed it.
CRYSTAL PALACE (2nd visit) - 4 stars
Decent buffet (not outstanding), beautiful location, great service. Character interaction is good. The kids enjoyed the b-day parade. B-day child gets a cupcake and a card signed by the characters.
O'HANA - 4 stars
Character interaction was very good, and I think one reason we really enjoyed this was that it was something new, just like the Epcot Princesses. The food was the regular b-fast fare with a bowl of tropical fruit and loaves of Hawaiian bread being the only Polynesian menu elements. Everything was hot, fresh, and tasty. There was a parade they handed out maracas for, but it was incredibly disorganized and took a long time to start. I think this was just an isolated event, though, and I would expect it to be on schedule normally. I think Disney is doing more of the characters parading with the kids.
TONY'S - 3 stars
(2nd visit) First time was for a Pooh character meal, so it was our first time with the normal menu. The ambiance is charming, the food is fine, not stellar. It was perfect for what we wanted at the time, a relaxing supper to rejuvenate us for the evening. DH and I split the spaghetti and meatballs and still couldn't finish it. The kid's pizzas are very big, and we should've split one between the 5 and 9 yr. olds. They would've still left a piece. That size is great for our 11 yr. old boy. Really, the spaghetti could've fed the 2 of us plus our 5 y.o. They gave the b-day girl a fancy ice cream sundae and gave the boys small scoops of ice cream for free. We ordered tiramisu to split and couldn't get through the whole thing. We would return, but we'd order less.
TUSKER HOUSE - 3.5 stars
the AK vouchers are a great deal, and we really enjoyed the food here. My dh would return just for that chicken sandwich. I got the roast chicken with garlic mashed potatoes and green beans (too much for me) so I could share with my 11 y.o. when his kid meal ran out. The food was tastier here than some of the sit-downs. We will go back, and we hope they continue the meal vouchers that include the bottled drink and ice cream or popcorn for later in the day.
50's PT - 4 stars
4th visit - We just can't resist this place even when we're sure we're going to walk past and try something else. Sister Mandy was a great server, and it was, as usual, a fun time. The food was very good, and my dh and I split the pot roast (excellent!). For our older son, they have kid versions of the meatloaf or chicken meals that cost only $1.00 more than the regular kid's menu. You have to ask for it, but it was perfect for our tween. I'm sure we'll return.
BEACHES & CREAM - 3 stars
2nd and 3rd visit - We hit it twice because of the vouchers which aren't as good as they used to be. Over Thanksgiving they allowed shakes and smoothies as drinks, but now it's fountain only. Our 1st visit we had a server with an attitude. He was not very pleasant, but the food was decent. The 2nd time we had a MUCH better server, and we had a great time in spite of our grouchy youngest child. We love the No Way Jose and the Fudge Mud Slide. The chicken sandwich is outstanding, and the prime rib sub is good.
SCI-FI - no stars
2nd visit - This gets mixed reviews, and I know why. Our 1st visit was wonderful, but this one stink, stank, stunk! The order was wrong, all the food was devoid of taste, and the service left much to be desired. Our food was brought out without ketchup or mustard, and no one checked on us. We tried to flag the mgr. down and finally got our server's attention after about 15 min. of sitting there with an incorrect order. Had we known our kids didn't like their food any better than we did, we would've walked out and told them to keep their food. As it was, we were in a hurry on our last day, and we all choked it down and didn't talk about it until later. We learned a parenting lesson, though. Our kids thought they might get scolded by us if they complained, so we need to listen and not assume they're doing their generic complaining about food. That was the positive we can take from that dining experience. TWO WORDS - Desert Only!!!
GARDEN GRILL - 4 stars
lunch (4th time there) - still very good, but our least impressive visit. We had to ask our server for dessert, and they've added a spinach dish that was far from a hit. Their Thanksgiving menu, which they serve all Thanksgiving week if not longer, is our favorite, and a hard act to follow. They do really know how to celebrate a b-day, and they serve a small cake rather than a cupcake and give the b-day child a certificate with the character's autographs. The worms and dirt dessert continues to be a favorite with our kids. We like the flank steak. Yes, we'll doubtless return, especially since they offer the 10% AP lunch discount M-F.
EPCOT PRINCESS BFAST- 4 stars
Food and service were very good as was character interaction. Atmosphere was more relaxed than at CRT even though we had a 10:20 PS. They still didn't rush us like last time at CRT. The pastries were good, and the food was standard b-fast menu. It was all hot and fresh. B-day girl got a really cool cookie that she got to paint. The gel food coloring paints were held in place in chocolate circles. She got a certificate, but the servers, rather than characters, signed it.
CRYSTAL PALACE (2nd visit) - 4 stars
Decent buffet (not outstanding), beautiful location, great service. Character interaction is good. The kids enjoyed the b-day parade. B-day child gets a cupcake and a card signed by the characters.
O'HANA - 4 stars
Character interaction was very good, and I think one reason we really enjoyed this was that it was something new, just like the Epcot Princesses. The food was the regular b-fast fare with a bowl of tropical fruit and loaves of Hawaiian bread being the only Polynesian menu elements. Everything was hot, fresh, and tasty. There was a parade they handed out maracas for, but it was incredibly disorganized and took a long time to start. I think this was just an isolated event, though, and I would expect it to be on schedule normally. I think Disney is doing more of the characters parading with the kids.
TONY'S - 3 stars
(2nd visit) First time was for a Pooh character meal, so it was our first time with the normal menu. The ambiance is charming, the food is fine, not stellar. It was perfect for what we wanted at the time, a relaxing supper to rejuvenate us for the evening. DH and I split the spaghetti and meatballs and still couldn't finish it. The kid's pizzas are very big, and we should've split one between the 5 and 9 yr. olds. They would've still left a piece. That size is great for our 11 yr. old boy. Really, the spaghetti could've fed the 2 of us plus our 5 y.o. They gave the b-day girl a fancy ice cream sundae and gave the boys small scoops of ice cream for free. We ordered tiramisu to split and couldn't get through the whole thing. We would return, but we'd order less.
TUSKER HOUSE - 3.5 stars
the AK vouchers are a great deal, and we really enjoyed the food here. My dh would return just for that chicken sandwich. I got the roast chicken with garlic mashed potatoes and green beans (too much for me) so I could share with my 11 y.o. when his kid meal ran out. The food was tastier here than some of the sit-downs. We will go back, and we hope they continue the meal vouchers that include the bottled drink and ice cream or popcorn for later in the day.
50's PT - 4 stars
4th visit - We just can't resist this place even when we're sure we're going to walk past and try something else. Sister Mandy was a great server, and it was, as usual, a fun time. The food was very good, and my dh and I split the pot roast (excellent!). For our older son, they have kid versions of the meatloaf or chicken meals that cost only $1.00 more than the regular kid's menu. You have to ask for it, but it was perfect for our tween. I'm sure we'll return.
BEACHES & CREAM - 3 stars
2nd and 3rd visit - We hit it twice because of the vouchers which aren't as good as they used to be. Over Thanksgiving they allowed shakes and smoothies as drinks, but now it's fountain only. Our 1st visit we had a server with an attitude. He was not very pleasant, but the food was decent. The 2nd time we had a MUCH better server, and we had a great time in spite of our grouchy youngest child. We love the No Way Jose and the Fudge Mud Slide. The chicken sandwich is outstanding, and the prime rib sub is good.
SCI-FI - no stars
2nd visit - This gets mixed reviews, and I know why. Our 1st visit was wonderful, but this one stink, stank, stunk! The order was wrong, all the food was devoid of taste, and the service left much to be desired. Our food was brought out without ketchup or mustard, and no one checked on us. We tried to flag the mgr. down and finally got our server's attention after about 15 min. of sitting there with an incorrect order. Had we known our kids didn't like their food any better than we did, we would've walked out and told them to keep their food. As it was, we were in a hurry on our last day, and we all choked it down and didn't talk about it until later. We learned a parenting lesson, though. Our kids thought they might get scolded by us if they complained, so we need to listen and not assume they're doing their generic complaining about food. That was the positive we can take from that dining experience. TWO WORDS - Desert Only!!!
